Denny O'Neil, best known for writing and editing Batman comic books, died June 11. He was 81. The Beat reported that O'Neil was "one of the most influential writers in comics history, his work on Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow with Neal Adams among the high points of '70s superhero comics. These stories broke away from the mold of entertaining good vs evil yarns to tell stories with serious themes. Quaint as they seem now, stories about drug abuse and racism were new to comics then, and had a powerful influence on those who came after."
He began his career in comics in the early 1960s as Stan Lee's assistant at Marvel and was hired by DC Comics in 1968. In 1980, he briefly returned to Marvel, but went back to DC in 1986 and continued writing and editing Batman while also working on Green Arrow and The Question.
O'Neil's conception of Batman as "darker and more obsessive--a change from the dayglo pop of the Batman TV show"--has influenced "every version of the character since, from Frank Miller to Christopher Nolan," the Beat wrote. "At Marvel, Denny hired and mentored a young Frank Miller, giving him the reins to write and draw Daredevil. Later he returned to DC, editing the Bat-books from 1986-2000. After retirement, he pursued a busy career as a teacher, including teaching writing for the comics at the School of Visual Arts."
In a tribute, Bill Sienkiewicz, O'Neil's collaborator on Moon Knight, observed: "He was a kind man with an acerbic edge, a giving soul, wickedly funny, and an incredibly talented writer who penned some of the greatest comic stories ever told... He helped make me a better professional, and better artist and storyteller, a better person, and to take what I do very seriously as a responsibility."
Former DC Comics president Paul Levitz called O'Neil "a philosopher, searching for ways to make the world better... even exploring how a new religion might be necessary for a time when it was no longer about man mastering the Earth, but learning to live in harmony with it.... But most of all, and ever so relevant at a moment like this, he taught us that we could... no, we should... damn it, we must use our podiums as writers, editors and teachers to push the world to become a better, more just place."
DC Comics publisher Jim Lee tweeted that O'Neil was "one of visionary architects of DC Comics who helped revive Batman in the 1970's and remains my favorite Green Lantern writer to date. Through his editing and writing, Denny was one of the earliest writers whose work and focus on social issues pushed comics to wider respectability & acceptance as an artform. Through his work & mentorship, he influenced generations of writers & artists. I was so starstruck meeting Denny for the first time, but he was just the kindest. Our condolences to his family & many fans around the world."